Chantal Petitclerc, Andr Pratte among those named to Senate

ChantalPetitclerc, aworld-record-holding wheelchair racer fromSaint-Marc-des-Carrires, Que., andAndrPratte, former editor-in-chief of La Presse, are among those named to the Senate.

Petitclerc, a 14-timeParalympicgold medallist,wasCanada's chef de mission at the 2014 Commonwealth Gamesthe first time a Paralympic athlete has held the post.

She is also Canada'schef de mission for the Rio Paralympicsin September 2016.

This morning she tweeted,"There we go: feeling humbled."

The choice was welcomed by fellow athletes and fans.

Pratte's career in journalism has spanned 37 years, 14 of which he spent as editor-in-chief of the daily newspaper La Presse.

He's also aprominent public intellectual in Quebec, known for his pro-federalist stance.

"He became very well known in Quebec and the rest of Canada for his strong positions, which clearly conferred on him a role as a leader and publicinfluencer," said a release from the Prime Minister's Office.

Others named to the senate include:

• Murray Sinclair,jurist who led the Truth and Reconciliation Commission.
• Peter Harder, a former bureaucrat who led Justin Trudeau's transition team.
• RaymondeGagn, former president of Manitoba'sUniversitdeSaint-Boniface.
• FrancesLankin, a former Ontario NDP cabinet ministerand a national security expert.
• RatnaOmidvar,executive director atRyersonUniversity's Global Diversity Exchange.

Trudeau aims to 'restore public trust'

According to the Senate's website,Ontario hadeight vacancies before today's appointments, Quebec hadsix and Manitoba hadfour. Nova Scotia and New Brunswick both hadtwo vacancies, while British Columbia and Prince Edward Island hadone each.

A news releasefrom the Prime Minister's Office described the senators as "independent."

"The government is today taking further concrete steps to follow through on its commitment to reform the Senate, restore public trust, and bring an end to partisanship in the appointments process," Prime Minister Justin Trudeausaid in a statement.

He added that today's appointments will "help advance the important objective to transform the Senate into a less partisan and more independent institution that can perform its fundamental roles in the legislative process more effectively."